Absence Makes the Hart Grow Fonder
by annoyanceisavirtue
Summary: A Writer's Convention separates Jennifer and Jonathan. He makes plans to go visit while she has to deal with the entry of someone who has haunted her for a very long time.


A/N: J&J bugged me until I wrote this story down. Enjoy, and if you could be so kind, please review.

...

Jennifer sighed as she flopped onto the bed. This was the 3rd day of the Annual Writer's Convention in London. This was the first year that Jennifer had been asked to attend. It was an honor to be chosen, but it was also hard work to be this focused for 5 days of continuous writing. The first 3 days consisted of seminars on how to hook the audience, how to make a believable plot, etc. Thankfully, that part was over. The 4th day was a lecture from a guest speaker, an author by the name of Kelly Duff, who had written over 10 romantic novels. It was scheduled for the afternoon, and then they were free to do what they wanted until the evening of the 5th day, when there was a mandatory party. Jennifer loved her job, and was honored to be invited to the conference, but it took a lot of work.

This was also the 3rd day away from her husband, who was still in Los Angeles. Jonathan had wanted to come, but was in the process to trying to acquire a new company. It had proven to be a tough task, and it seemed that he would not be able to get away from hustle. She sat up on the bed, and pulled out her laptop to see if she had any new messages. She opened it up to her email, smiling as she saw 2 new messages. One was from her editor, saying how happy he was that she had chosen to attend the convention. Jennifer rolled her eyes. _As if I had any choice._

She went back to her inbox, and her heart started to race as she saw her second email was from the one person she was missing the most. She rapidly opened it, eager to read the message from him.

 _Hi Beautiful,_

 _I miss you more than words can describe, my love. I hate not waking up next to you; it feels like our bed is empty. Freeway misses his mommy too. Darling, you know I would be there if I could, but unfortunately Beta Electronics is turning out to be a very difficult company to acquire. They are insisting on 3 more days of negotiations before handing over the reins. I wanted to call you, but our time zones are not lining up. I'll try my best to call you tonight. I love you, and am so proud of you, always._

 _Forever yours,_

 _J_

Jennifer smiled, constantly amazed at how much love he was able to convey in an email. He had sent the email at 6:00, over 12 hours ago. She checked the local time. 11 PM. This meant that it was 3 PM in Los Angeles. She picked up the phone and dialed his number. He picked up on the third ring.

"Jonathan Hart." He spoke.

"Mr. Hart! I'm so glad I caught you, my name is Louise Tobin." She spoke, referencing the first time they had met.

"Louise Tobin?" She could hear him smiling on the other end. "I'm so sorry Ms. Tobin, but I don't give interviews to love-starved matrons, who have to peek through keyholes to get a story."

"Mr. Hart, I'm sure you'll find that I'm not a reporter of that kind."

"Oh? And how so?"

"You see, I am ever so fortunate to be in love with someone, which excludes me from that category." She responded.

"And who would that be Ms. Tobin?" Jonathan replied.

Jennifer smiled. "You."

"Oh darling, I love you. Tell me, how is the conference going?" Jonathan twirled the phone cord in his hand.

"Oh Jonathan, the last three days have been absolutely boring. The only good thing is that Kelly Duff is lecturing tomorrow; I just finished her latest book! The way she writes is magnificent, Jonathan, really. I feel like I could learn a lot of things by hearing her speak tomorrow."

Jonathan smiled, imagining the animated way his wife spoke. He could almost see her hands gesturing with each word. He could sense the sparkle in her eyes. "Well, I cannot wait for you to get back darling. I've missed you far too much. I'm considering never letting you out of the house again."

"Is that so?" Jennifer chuckled. "And what will I possibly be doing all day by myself?"

"I'm sure you could think of a few things…and you wouldn't be by yourself." Jonathan grinned.

"Really? I'd give and arm and a leg to see how that would turn out." Jennifer responded.

"Then I wouldn't keep you." Jonathan replied. "You see darling, I like your arms just the way they are. And I'd take your legs wrapped around my-"

"Jonathan Hart, there better not be anyone else in your office right now." Jennifer laughed.

"We're in the clear darling. I truly do wish I was with you." Jonathan said seriously. "But in the meantime, I sent you a little something." Earlier in the day, Jonathan had called Jennifer's favorite boutique in London and had bought her a dress that she could wear to the mandatory party on Thursday. The associate described it as 'a classy, elegant dress for the modern lady.' Jonathan couldn't describe Jennifer any better.

"Jonathan, you didn't-" A knock sounded at the door. "Hold on darling, someone's at the door." Jennifer slid off the bed and walked to the door. She opened it, and saw a bellhop.

"Delivery for a…Louise Tobin." The boy said.

Jennifer laughed. "That's me. Thank you very much." She took the box and closed the door. Walking over to the bed, she put the phone back to her ear. "Jonathan. You shouldn't have."

"Just open it darling." Jonathan waited to hear her reaction.

Jennifer pulled the dress out of the box and gasped. It was a black dress, made out of the most elegant material she had ever seen. It had an empire waist, and was wrapped in chiffon at the bottom. "Oh Jonathan…it's beautiful."

"I want you to wear it for me at the party." Jonathan said. "You'll be the most beautiful person there."

"Jonathan, I miss you so much." Jennifer looked at the clock, and saw it was almost nearing midnight. "Darling I better get going if I want to get up on time tomorrow."

Jonathan sighed. He was dreading the moment he would have to say goodbye. "Darling what time is the party the day after tomorrow?"

"Umm…it's at 5 I think. Why?" Jennifer asked.

"No reason darling. Get some sleep; you have an early day tomorrow. I love you. Goodnight."

"I love you too. Goodnight." Jennifer hung up the phone, and walked the dress over to her closet. She hung it on a hanger and placed it on the rack. She admired it one more time before closing the closet door. She thought about Jonathan as she walked over to the bed and climbed in. She turned the light off as she fell into a deep sleep.

…

After hanging up the phone, Jonathan called Alfred, the pilot of his plane. "Hello Alfred? It's Jonathan. Do you have a minute?"

"Hello Mr. Hart, how are you? Yes I'm free, what's on your mind?"

"I was thinking…how much fuel would we need to fly to London?"

"When would you need to leave sir? I could re-fuel tonight."

Jonathan stood up, already making his plans. "I need to reach London by 5 PM on Thursday."

…

 _Beep beep! Beep beep!_

Jennifer groaned as her alarm clock rang. "Ugh…" Looking over, she saw the time was 10:30 AM. The lecture with Kelly Duff was in 1 and a half hour, leaving Jennifer with just enough time to get ready.

She got out of bed and stretched. She quickly took a shower and brushed her teeth, and walked back into the room to grab her clothes. Opening the closet, she smiled at the dress hanging there. _The way that man manages to surprise me._ She got out the clothes for today and quickly dried off. As she dressed, she remembered the agenda for the day. Kelly Duff! Jennifer was so excited to be able to hear to woman speak. Her novels were brilliant, and Jennifer was secretly hoping to get a copy of her most recent one, _Trials of the Soul_ , signed.

Jennifer gathered her stuff together and was walking to the door when there was a knock. She opened it to see the smiling face of Natasha Willis, a woman she had befriended on the first day of the convention. Natasha was a Russian author who focused on true crime literature. "Jennifer darling, are you ready to go?" She asked, with her accent rolling all the _r's_ in Jennifer's name.

"Natasha, good morning! Yes I am, let me just lock the door." Turning, Jennifer smiled and wrapped her coat around herself. "I'm so excited to hear Kelly Duff speak today!" Jennifer gushed. "Her books are fantastic."

"Eh, I don't care for the romance novels very much. But I will admit that she has certain…edge to her writing that I can admire." Natasha smiled. The two women made idle chatter as they made their way downstairs to the lecture hall. They quickly grabbed seats near the middle of the area and waited for the speaker to make the way to the podium.

A woman emerged from behind the curtain and walked to the podium. She had light blonde hair that fell to her shoulders and think rimmed glasses. "Good morning everyone. It is an honor for me to be here today. I am pleased to introduce to you, Ms. Kimberly Duff!"

A man walked onto the stage. He had dark brown hair and a beard. He walked to center stage and took a bow. The audience looked around confusedly. Who was this man? Jennifer looked at Natasha, who just shrugged. The man in question walked to the podium and adjusted the microphone before speaking. "Hello everyone, my name is Kimberly Duff. Well, not really, that's just the pen name I've been using for the last 20 years. Allow me to properly introduce myself. My name is Elliot Manning."

Jennifer froze.

It couldn't be.

She was awestruck.

Her breaths came out in shallow rapids.

"Jennifer are you alright?" Natasha asked, genuinely concerned for the sudden change in her friend. Jennifer just nodded weakly and continued to stare at the man on stage.

"25 years ago," Elliot continued, "I wanted to write a romance novel. It was perfect. It had suspense, intrigue, and many intimate moments. However, with a name like Elliot Manning, it wasn't going to be easy to sell many novels. My publisher decided to have me write under a pseudonym, and ever since, it's stuck. Now, you are the only people who know about this, so don't go spreading rumors."

The audience laughed. Jennifer couldn't move. Maybe he wouldn't notice her in the crowd.

 _Please God, don't let him notice me._

"My books are based off of real life experiences. Once upon a time, I was involved with a beautiful redhead. She was gorgeous, and we had the time of our lives. All these experiences in the books I have written are all true." Elliot's eyes found Jennifer's in the audience.

Their eyes locked. Jennifer couldn't breathe.

"However, she slipped away. I write in hopes of a happy ending. If not for me, at least for the characters in my novel. Now, to the real point of this lecture: how to write a compelling novel. Here are some of my tips…"

The rest of the lecture continued like this. Whenever a mention was made of his novels, or Jennifer and his times together, he would always find her eyes in the crowd, as if seeking permission to divulge the details of their relationship. Some hotshot author from New York asked if all the 'intimate' moments in the book were based off of real life. Elliot laughed, and then winked at Jennifer. She felt sick, but had no way of stopping his assaults.

Natasha was completely into the lecture, making notes whenever a relevant point was made. Jennifer, however, had lost all ability to function. Seeing Elliot here, after all this time, made no sense. He had to have an ulterior motive for showing up here, but he wouldn't make the move tonight. It wasn't like him. He would wait until the party tomorrow, wait until they were in a crowd and she couldn't get away.

"Thank you all for being such an amazing audience. I hope to see you all tomorrow at the party," He locked eyes with her once again. "I'll be signing books and hope to speak to some of you. Thank you all very much." He left the stage.

Jennifer watched him go, holding her breath until every last inch of him had gone from sight. "Wow Jennifer, you were right. That was a fantastic lecture. You didn't seem very into it, are you alright?" Natasha looked at her curiously.

"Yes, yes I'm fine." Jennifer checked her watch- it was almost 6. "I actually think I'm going to call it a night. I'll just head up to my room." She turned to leave.

"Jennifer wait, what about dinner?" Natasha called after her.

"I'll order some room service!" Jennifer hurriedly walked to the stairwell entrance. She had no patience to wait for the elevator. She practically ran up the stairs, feeling the need to expel some of the excess emotions inside of her. She fumbled for the key to her room before finding it, and jammed it inside of the keyhole, eager to disappear into her room.

Once inside, she rushed to the phone, frantically dialing Jonathan's phone number. "Come on, come on, come on…" She muttered as she waited for him to pick up. He didn't answer. She repeated this action 5 times, until she gave up. Jennifer paced around the room, needing to calm down. _I will not cry, I will not cry._ She repeated this mantra to herself as she stood pacing. Jennifer normally prided herself on being able to keep her cool in dangerous situations, but this was something that had caught her completely off balance.

Jennifer spotted her running shoes in the corner of the room, which gave her an idea. She quickly pulled on a pair of shorts and an old t-shirt, and tied up her hair under a Yankee's baseball cap. She grabbed her walkman and some headphone before exiting her room. _Going running will help clear my mind._

This was a task Jennifer had enjoyed since she was young. Along with show-jumping, she was a track star, proudly beating the record for the fastest mile at her high school. When running, she felt invincible. Nothing could stop her, or bring her down. Running and writing were her two escapes from this world.

Hurrying through the lobby with her head down, she exited the hotel and made a sharp left. Almost subconsciously, her path led straight to the Thames. Many a times, her father would bring her to London with him on his travels, and coming to the Thames was always the highlight of their visit. He would point out the Tower of London, the London Eye, and she would always be in awe of how much her father knew.

Continuing along the Thames, Jennifer eased into an easy pace and inhaled the air. The smell of London would always bring about a feeling of peace and stability, no matter how much trouble she was in. And boy, was she in trouble now.

Seeing Elliot here had stirred up memories of their relationship together. Bad memories of their relationship together. Even Jonathan didn't really know much about Elliot and Jennifer. He had never seen the Jennifer that Elliot had forced her to be. She had never thought she would be victim to an abusive relationship, but as she thought back on it, that's exactly what it was. He had never raised a hand to her, but his words could cut deeper than any knife.

Before she could fall prey to her own memories again, Jennifer quickly returned to the hotel. As she entered, she was flagged by a bellhop. "Ms. Edwards, there is a note that has been left for you." He handed her a piece of folded paper.

"Thank you very much." Jennifer headed for the elevator, exhausted from her run. She was afraid to open it. She could very plainly tell that this was Elliot's stationary; his extremely ostentatious EM at the top of it gave it away.

She decided to shower before opening it. She let the hot water run over her, clearing her mind. She wrapped herself in a fluffy robe before placing the envelope in question in front of her. Jennifer decided to try Jonathan's phone one more time before opening the note. She dialed quickly, hoping to fare better than before. No such luck.

She sighed and gingerly held the envelope in her hands. She opened it from the back, and smoothed it over the bed before reading it.

 _Jenny,_

 _What a pleasure seeing you here. I hope I didn't startle you by appearing- I'm sure that you were surprised to see Kelly Duff as me. Please don't be mad that I took some poetic license with our relationship and wrote novels about it. Seeing you reminded me how much I enjoyed our time together. Maybe we could meet up sometime tomorrow and talk? I'd love to get started up again. I'm in room 224 if you just want to drop by- I'm fine with that as well._

 _Elliot_

Jennifer visibly cringed at this note. She hated the nickname 'Jenny.' It made her feel like some common girl that you would see working behind the counter at the local ice cream shop. She never realized how much she hated it until Elliot called her Jenny for the first time. She never had to guts to stand up to him and tell him she preferred to be called Jennifer.

When she met Jonathan, he never called her anything but her given name. He could just sense that she was a classy woman, and Jennifer was what suited her best.

Jennifer was disgusted at Elliot. He knew that she was married, yet still made these obvious advances. _Jonathan, how I wish you were here._ She placed the note on the side table and collapsed into bed. Her last thoughts were of Jonathan before she fell into a tumultuous sleep.

…

"Mr. Hart?" Alfred spoke into the intercom.

"Yes Alfred?" Jonathan woke up from a light sleep at the buzz of the intercom.

"We've just crossed the Atlantic, and should be in London around 4:30 local time sir."

"Alright, thanks very much Alfred." Jonathan smiled, imagining the look of surprise on his wife's face as he walked into the party. He couldn't wait to see her.

…

" _Jonathan? Jonathan where are you?" Jennifer couldn't see her husband anywhere. She'd been searching for so long._

" _Jennifer I'm right here!" She heard him call for her. She turned around, but he was nowhere to be found._

" _Jonathan, darling I can't find you!" She yelled into the air._

 _A pair of arms wrapped around her. She sighed and leaned into the body of her husband. "I finally found you." She whispered._

" _Yes you did." He said. She whirled around, only to find herself in the arms of Elliot Manning. "I've got you now Jennifer. I've got you."_

" _No…no…no"_

Jennifer woke up in a cold sweat, breathing heavily. She checked the clock 12:48 PM. She'd been asleep for more than12 hours. She yawned and lay back down. The dream she'd had was disconcerting. What was her subconscious trying to tell her? One thing was clear, she needed to get a hold of Jonathan.

She dialed his number, and waited for 13 rings before hanging up. Where was her husband? She got out of bed and walked around the room, before deciding to dial room service and order coffee. Just as she hung up the phone, a knock sounded on her door. _Surely room service can't be that fast._

Jennifer warily walked towards the door, dread filling her with each step. She looked the peephole and breathed a sigh of relief when she found that it was only Natasha. "Oh Natasha, please come in."

Natasha took one look at her a let out a long sigh. "Alright, what's the matter with you? First you run out of the lecture, and then miss dinner, and breakfast this morning. You look like hell Jennifer."

Jennifer sighed, before motioning Natasha to come in. She sat down on the edge of the bed before beginning her story. She explained to Natasha who Elliot Manning was, and how their relationship had ended. She told her about Jonathan, and how he had saved her from the clutches of the monster that lay within Elliot. Lastly, she showed Natasha the note that he had sent her last evening. Natasha was in awe.

"Jennifer, I'm so sorry. I didn't know…I would've never let you go alone."

"Natasha, it's not your fault. I just don't know if I can to the party tonight, knowing that he'll be there."

"Jennifer I hate to say this but…it's mandatory. You'll get kicked out of the association if you don't come." Natasha looked regretful.

Jennifer seriously contemplated calling in sick and ricking losing her treasured spot in the association, but she realized if she did that, she would only let Elliot win. "You know what Natasha? I'm going to come. I'm going to show up and show him what he's missing out on. He can't control me anymore."

Natasha smiled. "That's the Jennifer I know! We have a few hours before the party, do you want to go out?"

"Thank you very much Natasha, but I think I'll just stay here and try to get a hold of my husband." Jennifer still needed to clear her head and create a game plan.

Natasha nodded. "Alright, but please call me if you need anything. Anything at all, Jennifer."

Jennifer nodded. "Yes I will. See you soon."

Natasha opened the door, only to be greeted by the flustered bellboy who brought in Jennifer's order of coffee. "Good darling, you're eating. I'll see you tonight." She exited.

"Complimentary toasts madam." The bellboy said.

Jennifer smiled. "Thank you very much."

He nodded and left. Jennifer made sure to eat every last bite of her breakfast; it was the first thing she had eaten in hours. Now that she had regained her energy, she was ready to create a game plan for the party. She mentally ran through a list of plausible scenarios in her head and made sure she had a response for each of them. She wasn't sure if she was ready, but she was Jennifer Edwards Hart, goddammit, and she never gave up.

…

Jonathan checked his tuxedo in the mirror as Alfred taxied the airplane into the proper terminal. He wished Jennifer could've been there to make sure that his bowtie was straight. He was almost nervous to make an appearance at the party, and he wasn't sure how others would react. Hell, he wasn't even sure how Jennifer would react.

"Sir, we're here."

Jonathan took a deep breath and exited the plane. He turned to Alfred and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Thanks very much Alfred. I really appreciate you doing this for me on such short notice. It means a lot."

Alfred nodded. "Of course sir."

Jonathan continued walking down the landing strip and hailed a taxi at the nearest street.

"Where to sir?" The balding cabbie asked him.

"Take me to the Ritz-Carlton."

…

Jennifer examined her appearance in the full length mirror that hung in her room. The dress Jonathan had sent her fit her perfectly. Her makeup was very subtle. Just a little bit of concealer and minimal powdering. Her lipstick was red, and perfectly highlighted her auburn hair, which was tied back. She looked perfect, and purposefully did her makeup this way. This was the way Jonathan had told her that he liked her. The 'au-naturale' look he called it. Elliot hated it. He always preferred his dates to wear heavy makeup, leave their hair loose, and slather on lipstick in any unnatural color they could find.

Jennifer primped her hair one more before deeming herself worthy to leave. She walked downstairs to the ballroom and stood outside the doors, preparing herself for what lay beyond those doors.

She almost lost courage before walking in. Jennifer stood up straighter and reminded herself why she was doing this. _This is to show that bastard that he cannot control me. I am my own person._ She took a deep breath and strode in.

Jennifer looked around, hoping to see a familiar face. Natasha wasn't anywhere to be found. She walked to the bar and ordered herself a red wine. The bartender placed it in front of her. "Thank you very much." She smiled and walked around.

She felt a tap on her shoulder. "I don't see him anywhere." Natasha said into her ear.

Jennifer whirled around with a hand to her heart. "Oh thank god it's you. Yes, I don't see him either. Maybe he won't show his face tonight."

A man came around to Natasha and put an arm around her shoulder. "Care to dance pretty lady?" He whispered into her ear.

She winked at Jennifer. "Excuse me."

They both departed, and that's when she saw him. Cradling a drink at the bar. Looking straight at her. She held his gaze. He smiled and started walking towards her. "Jenny. It's been too long. Let's get a table." He grabbed at her hand.

Jennifer wrestled out of his grip. "It's Jennifer. And no thank you, Elliot, I would prefer staying here."

Elliot held up his hands as if to surrender. "All right, Jennifer. We'll stay here."

Jennifer glared at him. "What exactly are you doing here Elliot?"

"Well, when you're an author invited to speak, you see the guest lists. You know I don't normally do these things, but when I saw your pretty little name listed as a guest, I just knew I had to come. And you were listed as Jennifer Edwards. Jonathon out of the way?"

Jennifer rolled her eyes. "If you knew me at all, Elliot, you would know that I travel using my maiden name. No, Jonathan is still very much in the way, thank you very much. We're happily married."

Elliot raised a hand to caress her cheek. "Jennifer…I know we can pick up right where we left off. Give me another chance."

Jennifer stiffened. "Get your hand off of me Elliot." She spoke in an icy tone.

"Or what Jennifer?"

Jennifer felt no need to response- she simply dumped the contents on her wine glass down the front of his shirt.

Elliot looked up, enraged. "How dare you…" He spoke angrily. "Who do you think you are?"

"Someone who won't be controlled by you any longer." Jennifer turned and walked away from him with a satisfied look on her face. She walked amidst the onlookers and headed straight for the bar. "Excuse me?" She called the bartender. "I'm going to need a refill."

She felt hands on her shoulder. "Elliot…" She spoke in a low tone. "I told you to stay away!" She whirled around- only to find herself in the arms of her husband.

"Jonathan?" She looked up into his face, the same face that brought her comfort, the same face that she fell in love with.

He grinned. "Hi darling."

Jennifer mouth opened and closed, no noise coming out. She shook her head and buried her face into his chest, tears coming for the first time.

"Darling?" Jonathan was concerned. "Are you alright?"

"I'm just so glad you're here." She whispered among the tears.

"Okay, it's all okay. I've got you now." He stroked her hair, leading her away from the party, and towards the elevator. "What floor are you on darling?"

"Five." She muttered.

Once safely in her room, Jennifer managed to compose herself long enough to ask her husband how he got here.

"Well darling, I hopped on a plane and flew here." Another one of his trademark grins. His tone then turned gentle, a tone that he only saved for his wife. "Darling, what happened?"

Jennifer leaned into her husband for support, and found his arms the safest place to be. She recounted her story, and finally told her husband about her relationship with Elliot, and how is had changed her as a person. Jonathon offered his silence as he sat with her and listened.

"I'm sorry for not telling you this sooner." Jennifer finished with a whisper.

Jonathan lifted her head to meet his, and she saw he had tears of his own glistening in his eyes. He cupped her face as he spoke. "Jennifer, I want you to listen to me. I love you. You, the past, the present, and the future. I need you to know that I would do anything for you. It doesn't matter to me what some idiot thinks of you, okay? I love you. And that's all you need to know." He gently pressed his lips onto hers.

Jennifer leant into the kiss. This was not a kiss of longing, but rather a kiss of promise. A promise that Jonathan would do everything in his power to protect her from future harms, and a promise that he would love her unconditionally.

It was also a kiss of yearning, as both hearts became one, both emotionally and physically. Jennifer finally felt safe in the arms of her husband. Jonathan felt safe in the knowledge that everything had turned out alright. Both Harts fell into the best sleep either had had in days, feeling safe and secure in the knowledge that their future would be filled with the everlasting promise of love.


End file.
